THE EFFECT OF A GEOGRAPHY CENTERED CURRICULUM: STUDENT PERCEPTIONS ABOUT GEOGRAPHY

Abstract

United States students’ poor performance on geographic knowledge measures is well documented over much of the twentieth century. Since students’ perceptions regarding geography may be responsible for their attention or inattention to geographic concerns, what would be the outcome of making geography the central focus of all school activities for a group of students? The question was investigated with fourth-grade students. Findings indicate that the geography emphasized in school may change the perceptions of students.